Happy 125th, Knoke
Town celebrates milestone Saturday
-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen <BR> This sign outside Knoke offers the true promise of three exits to get into the small Calhoun County town. Knoke was the site of a 125th anniversary celebration Saturday.
-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen <BR> Deb Greene, of Knoke, set her family garage up with chairs to welcome visitors Saturday to the Knoke 125th anniversary celebration. Greene and her husband Don have lived in Knoke since 1983.
-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen <BR> Janice Knoke Peterson, left, and her husband Lance Peterson look over a teddy bear dressed in a commemorative shirt Saturday during the Knoke 125th anniversary celebration. Knoke Peterson is a descendant of the founder of the community.
-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen <BR> Rayne Holtorf, 2, of Pomeroy, has a question for her mom, Maddie, about her breakfast during the Knoke 125th anniversary celebration. They were enjoying the Butler Township Fire Department breakfast.
-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen <BR> Pauline Lange, of Lytton, looks over various items on display during the Knoke 125th anniversary celebration Saturday. Lange grew up in the small Calhoun County community.
-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen <BR> Kelsey Janssen, of Pocahontas, and John Spray helped park cars on horseback Saturday during the Knoke 125th anniversary celebration. The horses are Gidget, at left, and Eddy.
-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen <BR> One of the Butler County Fire Department firefighters shows off the department's special shirt during the Knoke 125th anniversary celebration. Many of them simply refer to themselves as the Knoke Fire Department.
-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen <BR> Randy Mobley, of Fonda, right, and Rober Hallberg, of Sac City, give mule cart rides Saturday during the Knoke 125th anniversary celebration. The mules are Barb, left, and Bonnie.
-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen <BR> This sign outside Knoke offers the true promise of three exits to get into the small Calhoun County town. Knoke was the site of a 125th anniversary celebration Saturday.
-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen <BR> Deb Greene, of Knoke, set her family garage up with chairs to welcome visitors Saturday to the Knoke 125th anniversary celebration. Greene and her husband Don have lived in Knoke since 1983.
-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen <BR> Janice Knoke Peterson, left, and her husband Lance Peterson look over a teddy bear dressed in a commemorative shirt Saturday during the Knoke 125th anniversary celebration. Knoke Peterson is a descendant of the founder of the community.
-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen <BR> Rayne Holtorf, 2, of Pomeroy, has a question for her mom, Maddie, about her breakfast during the Knoke 125th anniversary celebration. They were enjoying the Butler Township Fire Department breakfast.
-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen <BR> Pauline Lange, of Lytton, looks over various items on display during the Knoke 125th anniversary celebration Saturday. Lange grew up in the small Calhoun County community.
-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen <BR> Kelsey Janssen, of Pocahontas, and John Spray helped park cars on horseback Saturday during the Knoke 125th anniversary celebration. The horses are Gidget, at left, and Eddy.
-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen <BR> One of the Butler County Fire Department firefighters shows off the department's special shirt during the Knoke 125th anniversary celebration. Many of them simply refer to themselves as the Knoke Fire Department.
-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen <BR> Randy Mobley, of Fonda, right, and Rober Hallberg, of Sac City, give mule cart rides Saturday during the Knoke 125th anniversary celebration. The mules are Barb, left, and Bonnie.
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KNOKE -- The "Knoke" sign on the edge of Knoke proudly proclaims that you can reach the small Calhoun County community from any of 3 exits.
It also gives the population.
According to the sign, it's 19 -- plus or minus.
So how many people actually do live in Knoke?
"We don't know," Deb Greene said. "It's probably 20 plus."
Greene and her husband Don live on "main" street, aka Calhoun County Road D15.One doesn't have to use one of the exits to reach them; they're right across the road from the fire station.
"We're near 'Exit 1,'" she said.
They've been there a few years.
"We've lived here since 1983," she said. "We're the only ones still living in Knoke from then. Everybody else is new; everybody is new."
Greene has recorded much of the history of the community. She visited for the 1976 75th celebration and was in residence by 2001 for the town's 100th year.
The next milestone will be the town's 150th in 2051.
"We won't be here," she said.
Janice Knoke Peterson, who now makes her retirement home in Florida, came back to visit. Her family history stretches back to the town's founding.
"I lived here till I was 9," she said. "I still own part of the town."
She remembers Knoke fondly.
"We probably had 40 or 50 people back then. Everybody knew each other's business," she said. "Nobody ever locked their doors. I have many happy memories."
Pauline Lange, who lives near Lytton, was raised in Knoke.
"We lived on that bare spot just north of us." Lange said, pointing to an empty lot.
She's not keen on the exits.
"It was always Main Street," she said. "We didn't like exits back in those days."
Maddie Holtorf, can accurately claim to live in suburban Knoke.
"We took gravel to get here," Holtorf said. "I could probably walk here."
She was enjoying breakfast in the fire station. She planned on some time with her children in the corn pit and some pony rides, then the concert in the evening.
In addition to the Knoke exits sign, the event organizers rented a portable sign that they put outside of town.
It read in part, "Caution. Large Crowd Ahead."
On Saturday, there was indeed.